...This time about Octopongles. Here is footage of an Indonesian Veined Octopus using coconut shells as protective cover. It's freaking adorable, especially when it picks up the shell and walks on tippy-toe.

I have a real soft spot for Octopiddlies; they're insanely smart; personally, I think they're smarter than dolphins. Certainly you never see an Octopipple making the mistake of rescuing a drowning human just to be caught in a tuna net by other humans. In fact, I would not be surprised if they had a Swiss Army knife* concealed somewhere in a tentacle for cutting themselves out of tuna nets.**

I remember watching a show about little (less than 1ft) Octobobbles, where the research crew caught one and put it in a tank below decks. The cameraman heard a noise, and found the little smarty-pants*** had shoved the lid off the tank, slid up two flights of stairs, and was most of the way across the deck before the crew realized what had happened. In a mutual display of respect, they let it escape.

I bet it's still planning its revenge.

Octologs aren't playing when they decide to pull off the masks of scuba divers, by the way - they're making sure all researchers maintain proper respect when faced with the capo a capo**** of squishy sea creatures.

Okay, they do it to recreational divers just for fun. Look around the next time you see footage on "Untamed and Uncut" of a diver on vacation being suffocated by an octopus of doom - if you look carefully, you'll see a bunch of carefully hidden Octomobbles giggling madly as they watch the human turn blue.

I'm also not ruling out the possibility that the oxygen mix in scuba tanks has a nitrous oxide-like effect on Octopooks, and they're just looking for a quick hit.

I think it's only a matter of time before we're invaded by a bunch of Octopi in eight-legged scuba suits designed specifically so they can travel distances on land. Think about it; there's nothing they can't do when provided with a computer and a credit card.

I love the clip of the octopus wrapping six out of eight arms around its head, and then tip-toeing off on two legs. I expect to hear a little snicker and "Shhh ... I'M IN DISGUISE." (I'm picturing Jeremy, from The Secret of Nimh, of course.)

I had read European sea life centers were giving its octopi Rubik's cubes and other toys to keep them mentally stimulated and observe of they had a favored appendage; it was also to reduce their stress levels.

I used to work at a public aquarium and have many a hilarious octo tale. They are master escape artists and can spend a significant time out of water with no ill effects, this often lead to really funny octo escapades.

I read an anectdote recently about an octopussy in an aquarium supply place. Owner could not figure out why all his expensive fishies were vanishing overnight. Didn't see the smug cephalopod belching and wiping his tentacles of the evidence. It was getting out of the tank at night and chowing down, then returning to the home tank to feign innocence.

octopus: (1758) genus name of a type of eight-armed cephalopod mollusks, from Gk. oktopous "eight-footed," from okto "eight" (see eight) + pous "foot." Proper plural is octopodes, though octopuses probably works better in English. (Emphasis mine)Octopi is from mistaken assumption that -us is the L. noun ending that takes -i in plural.

* No, not bugs, that's ENTOmology. ETYmology is the study of word origins. Which can certainly bug you on occasion but not quite in the same way.

People think we're odd, but we don't eat octies. We figure that any animal smart enough to figure out how to unscrew the lid to a jar, climb inside it, and screw the lid back on is too smart for us to be eating them.

We don't eat squiddies, either. They're not as smart, but I figure they're the enforcers of the oceans. The brawn to the octie brains. After all, anything that can go tentacle to teeth with a whale, well... they're tough beasties.

I loved that video when my husband sent it to me on Monday.My favorite octo story comes from Seattle Aquarium. Oscar learned to squirt water at the wiring and short it out so the lights went out at night time. They finally caught him in the act and repaired the wiring. I think they should have respected his wishes and turned the lights out at night, but no...